ACB submits Gujarat fisheries scam probe report to court

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) completed its inquiry into the Rs 400-crore fisheries scam, which allegedly involved former Gujarat fisheries minister Purushottam Solanki and submitted the report to the special ACB court in Gandhinagar, sources said.

Ahmedabad: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) completed its inquiry into the Rs 400-crore fisheries scam, which allegedly involved former Gujarat fisheries minister Purushottam Solanki and submitted the report to the special ACB court in Gandhinagar, sources said.

The report was submitted last Saturday in the special ACB court of Judge B M Vyas.

"As per directions given by the court earlier, the ACB has finished its inquiry into the case and submitted its report in a sealed cover. Thus, I cannot reveal much about the contents of the report," Mehsana ACB`s Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) PJ Chaudhari, who conducted the inquiry and submitted the report to the court, said.

The case dates back to 2008, when Solanki was Gujarat fisheries minister and alloted fishing contracts in more than 40 dams in the state.

At that time, a Palanpur-based businessman called Ishaq Maradia had knocked at the doors of the Gujarat High Court and alleged that Sonalki flouted rules by alloting contracts without following tendering process. Maradia also alleged that Solanki was involved in a Rs 400-crore scam.

After a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act was filed against Solanki, the special ACB court in Gandhinagar asked the ACB to conduct an inquiry during August 2013 and directed its officials to submit a report.

The court will conduct further hearings based on that report.

"The report was submitted by the ACB on May 31. We have also requested the court to provide us with a copy of the report. Based on that report, the court will conduct further proceedings on June 30," Maradia`s lawyer Vikram Thakor said.

Solanki, who was a minister of state in the Narendra Modi government has not been retained by newly sworn in Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, after she took over.